Druid
by Myn Jade
Summary: A young Tauren Druid's long journey across Azeroth.
1. Chapter 1: Red Cloud Mesa

Hello, my name is Jademyn, and I am a Tauren, to be specific, a Tauren Druid, and this is my story. It all started 4 years ago, in a small village atop Red Cloud Mesa, known as Camp Narache. From a very young age, I was given a choice about what I wanted to become, a plated warrior, a totem-wielding shaman, or even a pet-commanding hunter! But ever since I was a youngling, barely old enough to walk, nature has spoken to me in ways unexplainable, and because of that, I made my mind up very early. I was going to be a druid! When the time came for me to put all of my years of training to the test, I aced it. My first quest was given to me by Grull Hawkwind, an honorable Tauren of my tribe and the Chief's son, and he wanted me to prove my worth to the tribe; I was to bring some plainstrider meat back to the village, seeing as we were running low. Once I had brought the food back, I was given another task: I must go and find Chief Hawkwind's mother by the well near the camp. Once I had found her, we made a journey back to camp. Once Greatmother Hawkwind was seen safely back to camp, Chief Hawkwind instructed me to go find Seer Graytongue in the mountains, to complete the Rites of the Earthmother, our creator and goddess.

The first test is one of strength. For this test, I am sent to find and kill twelve Bristleback warriors, the boar-like enemies of all Tauren, and bring back their belts as proof of my deed. After I did as was asked of me, I moved on to the second rite; the Rite of Vision. For this, I must travel to the highest point of Red Cloud Mesa, and speak with Zarlman Two-Moons, the tribe's spiritual leader, and gather reagents for the Water of the Seers. When I brought back the reagents, he set to work creating the Water o the Seers. Once it was completed, he instructed me to drink it, and as soon as I did, my spirit left my body and took the form of an eagle! A spirit wolf also appeared, as if I was supposed to follow it, and follow it I did, as it led me through the ancestral homelands of Mulgore, to Bloodhoof Village. Yes! This is where I must journey to! The wolf appeared one last time and spoke to me, it said "Go to the Red Rocks, and there you will find your destiny." Once my spirit returned to my body, I thanked the Shaman, and went on my way.

At this point, my knowledge of the druidic ways has increased drastically, and I find I have the ability to shapeshift into a cat! When I do so, a surge of energy runs through my body, and I feel instincts start to take over. I rush to the beast nearest to me, a plainstrider, and tear it apart, feeling the joy of the hunt. I find that I move and run much faster now that I am a predator, a lion, king of the savannah, and as I run through the grasslands, I feel that this is what I was born for. In what feels like no time at all, I have arrived at Red Rocks, and I see that the Bristleback quilboars have invaded our sacred burial grounds. Consumed with anger, I tear through them, one by one, until I catch a glimpse out of the corner of my eye. It's a Tauren spirit! This must have been what the spirit meant by my destiny! As I head over to the spirit, my paws padding on the ground silently, I speak to her, and ask what I may do to assist her. She responds solemnly "I grant you the blessing of the ancestors who are laid to rest here at Red Rocks, so that you may gain the reverence of the Elders of Thunder Bluff. Go, young one, and fulfill your given task. Complete the Rites of the Earthmother." And with that, I took off, as fast as I could, to Thunder Bluff, and I had a feeling that this is when my real journey would begin, and as I ran, no thoughts ran through my mind besides the ones of pride, honor, and a sense to fulfill my duty to the Earthmother, and to make my ancestors proud.


	2. Chapter 2: Thunder Bluff

As I run across the plains of Mulgore, I take in my surroundings. To my left, there is a Prairie Wolf, and to my left, I see a Swoop, a dangerous carrion bird. As I approach the tall mesas that Thunder Bluff is built atop, I see the great lift. The great lift is a massive elevator powered by weights that will carry anyone and anything up to the top of the lowest of Thunder Bluff's rises. I run up to the boarding platform, and a Bluffwatcher greets me, and welcomes me to our sacred city. Filled with excitement and anticipation, I step onto the elevator, and within seconds I am being lifted up to the central mesa of Thunder Bluff. As the lift reaches the top, the city is revealed to me. I step off the elevator, and another watcher greets me, and says "**Ishne aloe Por-ah**." I return the blessing and walk forward and nearly got run over by a young male Tauren on a massive kodo. He yells back my way "**Pawni**!" and keeps riding on, into a small building on the edge of the mesa, and disappeared. "_Is this what all cities are like?" _I ask myself in my head, "_It was always so peaceful in Camp Narache…" _ I shrug my massive shoulders and keep walking.

As I stand on the Lower Rise, the main marketplace for all Tauren there was a feeling of being overwhelmed by all of the Tauren all gathered in one place. Everywhere I looked there was a merchant, all selling different things. To my left was a tent, within which was an engineering trainer. To my right, there is a gathering of guild managers, a Guild Master, a Guild Vendor, and a Tabard Vendor. I look straight forward and see a pool of water and a blacksmith's shop right next to it. I think back to whom the ancestral spirit told me to go see, and one name stands out in my mind. Cairne Bloodhoof. That is the name of the most powerful warriors to ever walk the face of Azeroth, and surrogate brother to Thrall, leader of the Horde. I look around, trying to find the longhouse that Chief Cairne lives in, but I don't see it anywhere. As I stand there, a Bluffwatcher walks over to me and asks me, "**Nitawa tu**. You look confused, can I help you with something?" I turned around to face her and I answer, "Yes, could you show me the way to Chief Cairne's longhouse?" After I asked the question, her face got grave and she nodded and said, "So, you're the great upstart I've been hearing about? It's an honor to finally meet you, **shush**. Yes, Chief Cairne's longhouse is on the High Rise, which is straight ahead, find the wind rider roost and climb the ramp up two stories, and you will be able to see it, clear as day, **ishne aloe Por-ah**, **shush**." I thank her, and make my way to the large wooden totem pole they call the wind rider roost. I start to run up the ramp, in cat form so I'm faster, and when I reach the second doorway up, I step through and before my eyes lay the High Chieftain's longhouse, and this is where my journey will officially begin.

I walk across the courtyard, which is filled with rows of benches, and as I get closer to the tent, I hear a loud, booming voice. "_It's coming from the longhouse! Could it be Cairne?" _ I get closer, and peek in, and I see a huge male Tauren with two giant totem poles strapped to his back laughing with his son, Baine Bloodhoof, as he swings another large totem pole at his father, who easily dodges his attack. When the sparring session is over, Cairne turns around, and seeing my face, looks at his Honor Guard and Baine, and they immediately settle down. As Cairne walks forward, I begin to shake fiercely _"Is it really Cairne? The Warrior of legend? Is he really coming to talk to me right now?" _ Cairne takes a few steps forward, and once he was directly in front of me, he kneels to the ground and says, "**Awak, kashu shush**, it seems you found your way to my doorstep." I am appalled that he is speaking to me as an equal, and I respond with a shaking voice "My journey was long and hard, but it was worth it to finally get to see you, High Chieftain Bloodhoof." I immediately drop to my knees after I addressed him, and as Cairne stood, he gave me permission to as well. Once we are both on our feet again, he tells me of the last task I must do. "You have passed the Rites of the Earthmother and have earned your place in Thunder Bluff. But in order to maintain the spot that you strived so hard to achieve, you must continue to prove your worth to your people. We are hunters, Jademyn. Down below in Mulgore there is a mighty kodo named Arra' me your skills in the ways of tracking and hunting by bringing me the Horn of Arra'chea." I look deep into the High Chieftain's eyes and nod, "I will do as you ask, **A'iah**, the Horn of Arra'chea will be yours soon." As I turn to leave, I hear the Chieftain mutter "Ishne aloe Por-ah" as he turns back to speak with Baine. As I run back through Thunder Bluff, towards the lift, I have many thoughts running through my head, but the loudest one is _"You better watch out, Arra'chea, here I come."_

Translations: Shush-Druid. A'iah-Chief. Awak, kashu shush-Hail, young druid. Ishne aloe Por-ah-Walk with the Earthmother. Nitawa tu-excuse me Pawni-Sorry


	3. Chapter 3: Arra'chea

As I descend on the elevator back to the plains of Mulgore, I think back to where Cairne told me to go to find Arra'chea. _The High Chieftain told me that I could find Arra'chea in the hills east of Thunder Bluff…I should head there first. _When the elevator reaches the ground, I shift into cat form and run east, towards the hills in the distance. After at least a half hour, I reach the hills, and not six yards away, I see a dark brown, furry kodo, and I figure this must be Arra'chea. I stealth and begin to sneak towards the kodo, expecting it to attack me as soon as I get too close. As I bear down upon the massive beast, I prepare to be attacked, but the kodo just kept moving. _Maybe it just doesn't see me…no, I was standing right next to it, maybe it's not aggressive? _I thought about it for a little bit, and then I decided that I should just go ahead and attack it, so then I just ran forward, not sneaking anymore, and clawed the kodo with all of my might.

The kodo reared, turned around, and stomped on me, injuring me very badly. After I recovered from the attack, I pounced on the giant beast and dug my claws into its hind legs as deep as they would go, and refused to let go. The kodo threw its body every which way, trying to detach my claws, but I held on fiercely, and the more Arra'chea shook me, the more damage was done to its leg. Finally, I was shaken free, and as I flew through the air, I got my paws underneath me, and landed safely. I shook myself off, and charged the kodo again, but this time its throat was my target. As I reached the beast, I bit down on its neck, and thrashed my head back and forth, ripping the beast's neck to pieces, cutting off the blood flow to the brain, and killing it instantly.

The kodo collapsed on the ground, creating a minor earthquake, shaking the ground around its body enough to knock me off balance. I trip over my feet and fall, and as I fall, I shift out of cat form so I can catch myself before I hit the ground. After I land, I pick myself up, dust myself off, and walk over to the large creature I just defeated, and looked at it. I bless the corpse of the beast, sending its soul to the Earthmother, and kneel down to remove its horn. In order to salvage the horn of Arra'chea I must cut it off, or blast it off with a highly concentrated blast of nature magic, but with the possibility of destroying the horn in the process. I look again at the animal I have just slaughtered, and feel a hint of grief because I have taken the life of one of the Earthmother's children. I take my dagger from my Frostweave Bag, and proceed to cut the horn from the tip of the magnificent beast's nose, and it soon lies in my hand, covered in blood. I wipe it off and place it in my bag along with my dagger and stand up.

On my journey to this area of Mulgore, I didn't take the time to take in my surroundings, but now that I have finished what I came here for, I decide to see what this area has in terms of vegetation and animal life. I look over to my left and see a harpy nest, and just the thought of the vile creatures makes me seethe in anger. To my right is a dig site, which is most likely owned by dwarves or the Venture Co., a corrupted evil company that will do anything for more gold. However, as I look a little closer, I see many angry earth elementals, and I wonder if they are there because they are angry with what the dwarves or the Venture Co. did to their home. I look around a little more, and I just get the feeling of life, and it is overwhelming, but this feeling is like none you have ever felt before. What I am feeling right now is equivalent to what you would feel if you were on a sugar rush, like you get on Hallow's End, but you also feel joy, the happiness of being alive, something that you might feel during Winter's Veil. It is a beautiful feeling to have, but usually only druids have the appreciation for nature that is required to feel this, and it reminds me of why I chose to walk down the path of nature, the path of druidism. I stand and look up to the sky, and see that the sun is almost behind the Stonetalon Mountains, and I realize that I had been sitting in that same spot for multiple hours. I turn around to see Thunder Bluff far in the distance, shift into cat form, and start running back to present my trophy to High Chieftain Cairne Bloodhoof, and to get officially recognized by my fellow Tauren.


	4. Chapter 4: Fatigue

As I reach the lift to take me to my glory, I am stopped by a large Orc with a beer mug in his hand '_Is it Brewfest already? __Damn. __I'll have to be careful, I cannot let this get in my way.' _The Orc looks me straight in the eyes and says, slurring his words slightly, "Welcome to Brewfesht-hic-maybe I could interest you in a mug?" I look the big lug in the face, shake my head, and walk towards the lift. I feel a hand on my shoulder, and reacting to instinct, shift into cat form and pin him down, a claw at his throat, "Leave me alone, dimwit, or I will take an eye!" I get up and shift back to humanoid form, the Orc getting up and attempting to get away, but just stumbles over his own feet and falls again, a result of too much liquor. I again turn back around and board the lift, feeling satisfied, but can't help but wonder if I could have handled the situation differently. '_Damn…__Why was I so harsh back there…? I enjoy Brewfest as much as any respectable __Tauren__…it must just be the stress...being a druid is harder than I thought it would be.' _The lift reaches the top, and as I walk off, I am again greeted by a Bluffwatcher, but this time by a title, "**Ishne aloe Por'ah**, honorable Jademyn." I return the greeting for what seems like the thousandth time. As I begin to walk through the city, overwhelming fatigue hits me like a kodo bull ramming a rival, and quicker than a sprinting plainstrider, I'm on the ground, unconscious. As I awake, I feel a soft bed underneath me and a warm fur blanket over my body. I sit up and take in my surroundings. The room is very large, unlike any inn in Thunderbluff, and there are many trophies adorning the walls. '_Whoever owns this building must be a very __honorable_ _Tauren judging by all the horns and such on the walls..' _Not a moment later, **Ai'ah** Bloodhoof walks into the room and sits on a stool on the far side of the room, and I jolt out of the bed and onto my feet, just realizing I'm not in my armor, but a beautiful, thickly woven dress the color of the grass. Cairne looks at me and chuckles, a deep, throaty sound that brings a sort of warmth to my body. "It is all right, **shush**, there is no need to be so tense, sit, and let us talk." Making eye contact with me, he looks at the bed, then back into my eyes. I give in and sit down, holding back the urge to ask why I am in his home, and in this dress. "I can see you are anxious," he says with a hint of humor behind his voice, "there is no need, a Bluffwatcher brought you here, she was very concerned about you, I told her to bring you in and make you comfortable, which would explain your dress." I nodded, then began to tell him about my quest. "…and that is how I retrieved the horn of Arra'chea, **Ai'ah**. Here, I believe this is the thing you sent me to get," Reaching into my bag, I retrieved the bloody horn and handed it to Cairne. He grabbed the horn from my hand and examined it, "This will make a fine trophy to put on your wall, **shush**, here," He handed the horn back to me, and I grabbed it hesitantly, looking at him with confusion. "But, wasn't I to retrieve this for you? Why give it back?" The chief once again chuckled, his laugh comforting me. '_His laugh, it sounds just like my father's…no wonder I feel so happy when I hear it' _I think, a smile creeping onto my face. "I merely needed the horn as proof that you did what I asked of you, nothing more. It would not be right for me to take it from you, you earned it yourself, after all." The chief said, beginning to rise, "Get your rest, you will need it for what is coming next. When you wake, your armor will be on the table next to your bed. You can keep the dress, if you desire, you look quite pretty in that color." As he finishes his sentence, he exits the room, leaving me to ponder my next moves.

When I awake the next day, my armor is indeed beside my bed, and so is a plate with 2 racks of beer basted boar ribs, a few loaves of spice bread, and a couple bottles of melon juice with a note that says, "Courtesy of the Mistrunners"


End file.
